Posts Tagged With: Lake District

Please make wishes for the suitable care of the Mountain Blencathra in the English Lake District which is currently for sale.

Those who know the Buddhist Nipponzan Myohoji Temple at Willen, Milton Keynes, you may have visited the smaller shrine room at the back of the temple. There is a shrine on the left, upon it, there is a picture of the Mountain Blencathra. So why is it there?

Mt Blencathra

After the Buddhist monk Handa Shonen-san’s funeral, head Buddhist nun Maruta Anju-san entrusted me with a small amount of Handa’s cremated remains. Handa shared the same love I have of being in the mountains. I instantly knew where his remains should be berried, on the summits of two British mountains. A mountain in the far north of Scotland called Suilven, which is similar in shape to the holly mountain, Mount Kailash in Tibet. The other is my favourite mountain in the English Lake District, Blencathra. Just like the Peace Pagoda in Milton Keynes, Blencathra has a stone circle at its base, the ancient Castlerigg Stone Circle.

A few weeks later, on a frosty winter morning, I climbed sharp edge on Blencathra and summited this magnificent peak. I buried Handa’s remains under the summit cairn.

So please make wishes that this mountain be passed into the care of a suitable organisation which will protect it for all to freely enjoy.

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Footnote:

Karen Fallon was the other person who was entrusted with a small amount of Handa’s cremated remains. She climbed Mount Suilven & buried them on the summit.

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A word of caution:

Both these mountains can be dangerous, especially in bad weather, or winter mountaineering conditions. If you are contemplating a pilgrimage, please take sensible precautions, have the right experience or outdoor training, have the correct outdoor clothing & equipment for the terrain & weather conditions.
They are both wonderful mountains to climb, have fun & be safe.
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